Composition
The song's instrumentation has specific similarities to Greek music, as with "And I Love Her" and "Michelle". As for the inspiration of the song's lyrics, Lennon stated that the "girl" was an archetype he had been searching for and would finally find in Yoko Ono. He said: "'Girl' is real. There is no such thing as the girl, she was a dream, but the words are all right. It wasn't just a song, and it was about that girl – that turned out to be Yoko, in the end – the one that a lot of us were looking for." In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine in 1980, Lennon said of his song "Woman": "Reminds me of a Beatles track, but I wasn't trying to make it sound like that. I did it as I did 'Girl' many years ago. So this is the grown-up version of 'Girl'."
Paul McCartney claimed that he contributed the lines "Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure" and "That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure." However, in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon explained that he wrote these lines as a comment on Christianity, which he was "opposed to at the time". Lennon said: "I was just talking about Christianity, in that – a thing like you have to be tortured to attain heaven ... – be tortured and then it'll be alright, which seems to be a bit true but not in their concept of it. But I didn't believe in that, that you have to be tortured to attain anything, it just so happens that you were".
The deep breaths in the chorus were rumoured to have symbolised taking a long inhalation (toke) of a marijuana joint.
Girl
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl
You want so much, it makes you sorry
Still you don't regret a single day
Ah, girl, girl
When I think of all the times
She will turn to me and start to cry
And she promises the earth to me
And I believe her
After all this time I don't know why
Ah, girl, girl
She's the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there
You feel a fool
When you say she's looking good
She acts as if it's understood
She's cool, ooh, ooh, ooh
Girl, girl, girl
Was she told when she was young
That pain would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back
To earn his day of leisure?
Will she still believe it when he's dead?
Ah, girl, girl, girl
Ah, girl, girl
The Beatles' song 'Girl' is a simple love song, where the singer expresses his joy in finding the perfect girl who he deems as his "Candy Girl." The song revolves around the singer's admiration and love for this girl who he has been searching for all over the world. He describes the magical feeling he gets when he's with her, and how happy she makes him feel.
The lyrics of the song are very straightforward and showcase the simplicity of love. Through the song, the singer expresses the desire to be with this girl forever, and how he feels that they were meant to be together. He is thrilled to have found someone who understands him, loves him, and with whom he has a connection that he has never felt before.
The repetition of the phrase "candy girl" in the song highlights the singer's affection and admiration for her. The song's upbeat melody and harmonies create a happy, carefree atmosphere, making it an iconic Beatles song.
Overall, 'Girl' is a beautiful love song that celebrates the simplicity of true love and how it makes us feel happy and complete.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a-searchin' all this wide world
After much searching, I've finally found my true love
Now finally I've found my Candy girl
I have found the one who makes me feel complete, my sweet and lovely candy girl
She sets my heart a-whirl (candy girl)
She makes my heart skip a beat, that's why I call her my candy girl
With huggin' (huggin') and kissin' (kissin') and lov-in'
We express our love for each other through physical gestures like hugging, kissing and making love
(She's mine) mi-ine (mine) mine
I am so grateful to have her in my life, she is mine and only mine
We get along so well (candy girl)
Our relationship is healthy and joyful, that's why she's my candy girl
I know just why I fell (candy girl)
I understand why I fell in love with her, she's amazing in every way
She's thrillin' (thrillin') oh, chillin' (chillin'),
Yeah she's so divine
She's exciting and exhilarating yet calm and collected, she's simply divine
When we're out together
Everyone knows the way we feel
Our love is palpable and visible to everyone around us when we go out together
We both seem to glow with the glow of a love
And it's plain to see
Our love is real
Our love shines bright and it's obvious to everyone that it's genuine and true
She vows eternally (candy girl)
To hold me (hold me) and love me (love me)
Until the end of time
She promises to love and cherish me always, my sweet and dedicated candy girl
Candy girl
She's sweet and lovely, my ultimate candy girl
Candy girl
I can't get enough of her charm, my sweet and gorgeous candy girl
Candy girl
She simply tastes as sweet as candy, my delectable candy girl
Candy girl
She's mine to love and cherish forever, my adorable candy girl
Candy girl
She's the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me, my lovely candy girl
Candy girl
I can't resist her sweetness, my alluring candy girl
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Mother Nature's Son
A really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on The Night Before
A really splendid Beatles song.
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on P.S. I Love You
Now this is a really great Beatles song.
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on There's a Place
A seriously underrated Beatles song.
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on Do You Want to Know a Secret
A fantastic song by The Beatles.
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on When I'm Sixty-Four
A very tuneful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
An excellent Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on I'm Looking Through You
A beautiful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Honestly The Beatles can't stop producing good songs.
Philip Kassabian
on Michelle
A fantastic Beatles song and absolutely beautiful.